Kadan, My Heart
by emmilperkins
Summary: Evangeline Lavellan meets a handsome Qunari who calls himself "The Iron Bull". Over time, she feels herself develop feelings, romantic feelings for the Qunari; but her and Bull are merely just fellow members of the Inquisition, right?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Evangeline Lavellan walked out of the Chantry to see the busy people of Haven going about their early morning duties. The Inquisition was a work in progress, as they recruited new members each and every day. They knew they could use all the help they could get in order to close the breach in the sky. Evangeline walked through the outer doors of Haven to greet the soldiers who were practicing their combat skills outside of Haven. Among them was the bold and assertive Cassandra Pentaghast, a young woman in her early thirties. She was one of the most skilled of the warriors in the Inquisition, and Evangeline had seen her skills for herself. Cassandra was in the middle of sparring with a man a little younger than her. He grunted with each swing, giving it his all, as Cassandra nonchalantly parried each blow. She finally chuckled and sheathed her weapon, backing away. "That's enough for today. I think you have taken all you can handle." Cassandra's laid her eyes on Evangeline. "Good morning, Inquisitor. I trust you have rested well?" Evangeline smiled and shrugged. "Well, who can sleep perfectly when there's a giant hole in the sky, releasing demons and darkspawn as we speak? But all things considered, I guess I slept well." Evangeline's playful comment earned a chuckle from Cassandra. "You'll need that sense of humor, Inquisitor." Cassandra looked up at the breach in the sky, with a crestfallen look on her face. "Dark days are ahead, i'm afraid. The breach grows larger with each passing hour, the demons are still yet to be defeated. Until then, I fear for the events that are to come." Cassandra sighed, looking down at her clenched fist. Evangeline sensed that Cassandra was stressed, so she gently put a hand on Cassandra's shoulder, and she could feel the tension subside. "Now, Seeker; we must think positive. The breach will be closed, and everything will be alright. Just leave it to me." Cassandra scoffed. "It cannot just be _you_ , Inquisitor. Keep in mind this is a team effort. Don't be getting cocky. This will not be as easy as you perceive it to be." Cassandra turned her back on Evangeline, and went back to training the soldiers. Cassandra could sometimes come across as a pessimist, but Evangeline knew she was right.

Cassandra and Evangeline stood hunched over the table in the war room, along with Evangeline's advisors; Josephine, Cullen, and Leliana. "We should accept Grand Enchanter Fiona's offer and negotiate with the mages in Redcliffe." Cassandra suggested. Cullen scowled from across the table. "I strongly disagree, Seeker. The templars would make worthy companions. Not only that, but I fear that too much magic may not be beneficial to the Inquisition, as we already have Solas." Evangeline was about to voice her disagreement with Cullen's opinion, but Leliana chimed in before she could. "We do not nearly have enough mages in the Inquisition. The mages deserve their freedom from persecution. Not only will the Inquisition provide them with that freedom, our acceptance of the mages will also benefit the Inquisition." Cassandra and the advisors all turned their gazes toward Evangeline. "Where do you stand on the issue, Inquisitor?" Cassandra questioned. Evangeline swallowed nervously. "Uh," She wasn't very comfortable with being put on the spot, mainly out of fear of hurting somebody's feelings. "I'll have to think about it for a while. All of you had valid points. For now, let's all just think about it." Evangeline turned on her heels and stormed out of the door of the war room as fast as she could.

Evangeline made her way out of the Chantry's doors, as a young man stood beside the entrance. "Lady Inquisitor, may I have a moment, please. I hold a message from the Storm Coast." The man's surprisingly feminine voice stopped her, and made her curious as to what this message was. She looked at the boy, as he humbly bowed. "Word got to the Storm Coast that you were recruiting members for the Inquisition. There is a Qunari known as the Iron Bull, leader of the Chargers. He will be interested in joining, so you best go speak to him." The boy reported. Evangeline thought for a moment. "Well, we could definitely use all the help we can get, so I will gather my party and travel to the Storm Coast to meet with this "Iron Bull". Thank you for your message." She nodded her head toward the boy in a silent thanks, and he nodded back. She rounded up Sera, Solas, and Cassandra. The group ventured forth to the Storm Coast, looking forward to meeting with the Qunari known as "The Iron Bull". The journey was fairly quiet, and fairly peaceful, but not for long. There was a glimmering green rip in the air about seven feet above the grass. Sera pointed it out. "What the hell is that?" As the group walked closer to it, there was a loud noise as green tendrils struck out and hit the ground, before wraiths, and demons arose from the ground where the tendrils struck. Cassandra drew her weapon. "Be ready, Inquisitor!" Evangeline drew her sword and held her shield at the ready, in a defensive stance. Solas and Sera were also ready for battle with their weapons at the ready, as the demons made their way toward the group. Cassandra was the first to charge, as she bashed the demon down with her shield, and struck it. The demon froze, and spontaneously disappeared with a burst of blood, covering Cassandra from head to toe. Evangeline made a face, which Cassandra noticed. "You can't be bothered by a little bit of blood, Inquisitor. Now, figure out a way to weaken the rift, while we fend off these bastards." Cassandra turned on a wraith with a chillng war cry, and struck it until it disappeared and perished. Evangeline was impressed, but she knew she couldn't focus on Cassandra's actions. Evangeline tried to push her thoughts back to when she first received the mark. Then, she remembered, she was able to weaken and stun the pride demon that had manifested at the Temple of Sacred Ashes by disrupting the rift. She knew there was a possibility that disrupting the rift would be able to stun the demons and wraiths to aid her team in defeating them. Once the demons were dead, it was then and only then that she would be able to close the rift. Evangeline turned her attention to the rift. She raised her hand and the energy from the mark connected with the rift. There was a sort of explosion, stunning the demons. She took advantage of the situation and bashed a demon with her shield, breaking the stun but ultimately weakening the demon. After a couple more blows, the demon was dead and gone. The battlefield was void of demons, and Evangeline saw her chance to close the rift. She raised her hand, and clenched her teeth as the powerful energy surged through her arm, but with a sharp wave of her hand the rift was closed.

The group finally arrived at the Storm Coast. It was just as its name implied, full of rain that could easily beat you to the ground if you are not firmly planted. The sound of metal clashing and voices crying carried itself through the wind. "This may be just a lucky guess, but I think Iron Bull and the Chargers are that-a-way." Sera grinned, as she pointed a finger in the direction of the fighting. Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Really now? Well, we best go check it out, I suppose." The group hastened in the direction of the fighting, and saw the Chargers battling a group of men. Evangeline looked back at her group. "Don't just stand there! They need our help!" Evangeline raced toward the battle and decapitated a man with one blow. Her group followed her without question and joined the battle at her side. As Evangeline fought with valiance, she spied a large male Qunari, whom she assumed to be the Iron Bull. He effortlessly struck down an enemy, before looking around at his followers. "Chargers! Stand down!" The Iron Bull was a sight to behold. Saying he was muscular was an understatement, and although he barely wore any armor, it looked like he would have no problem holding his own in battle. Iron Bull set his sights upon Evangeline, before a huge grin spread upon his face. He threw his head back and let out a hearty guffaw. "So, the rumors are true! Andraste's Herald is indeed a Dalish elf! I am known as the Iron Bull, Inquisitor. I became apart of the Ben Hassarath after my long and bloody battle with the Tal Vashoth. Anway, enough about me! Introduce yourself, Inquisitor." Evangeline folded her hands at her chest timidly. "Well, my name is Evangeline Lavellan, and I am Andraste's Chosen. It's very nice to meet you, Iron Bull." Iron Bull raised a hand. "Ah, but it's 'THE Iron Bull. I like having an article at the front. It makes me sound like i'm not even a person, just a mindless weapon, just an implement of destruction..." The Iron Bull trailed off. "That really works for me." This made Evangeline raise an eyebrow. "Well, then, 'THE Iron Bull', I hear you are interested in joining the Inquisition?" The Iron Bull had a confident smirk on his face. "Well, I just thought you needed a front-line bodyguard. A bodyguard against whatever; demons, dragons, the bigger the better. So, what do you say, Inquisitor? Yay or nay?" Evangeline held out a welcoming hand. "You're in." The Iron Bull smiled warmly and grabbed her hand, giving a firm shake. "Glad to be here."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Back in Haven, Evangeline woke up the next morning, tired, but ready to start the day fresh. She got out of bed and dressed before opening the door to her quarters, greeting people passing by. Evangeline made her way to the sparring field, where Cassandra and Cullen were usually seen coaching the Inquisition soldiers. On her way over, she spied Iron Bull standing in front of a tent by the blacksmith. He looked lonely, and she wanted to make sure he was getting comfortable in the Inquisition. As she made her way toward him, she smiled and waved, and was greeted with just a tiny smile. Iron Bull seemed like he was just a little rough around the edges, but Evangeline knew she couldn't expect more from a Qunari who had been conditioned all his life to be a fighter. "Good morning! How did you sleep?" Evangeline asked, a friendly tone in her voice. The Iron Bull thought for a second. "Snug as a nug in a rug." Evangeline couldn't help but snicker. "That was a clever play on words, was it not?" Iron Bull let out a bellow of laughter and slapped his knee. Evangeline looked up at the seven foot tall giant. "That was incredibly clever, Iron- oh excuse me; THE Iron Bull." Evangeline corrected herself. Bull raised a hand. "Please, just call me Bull. Friends are free to call me whatever they please, but acquaintences and enemies should know me only as The Iron Bull. It gives them that intimidated feeling, you know?" He winked with his good eye. Evangeline felt herself blush, although she didn't know why. Well she knew why, but she didn't want to recognize it. Evangeline suddenly remembered one of her biggest questions for the one-eyed Qunari mercenary. She gazed at his eyepatch with concern. "Bull, how did you get that eyepatch in the first place? What made you lose your eye?" She was just curious, but she was afraid the question came across as rude, but Iron Bull didn't seem to mind. "Oh well, you've met one of my Chargers: Krem, have you not? Brown hair, sounds like he's barely hit manhood. Well I lost my eye saving him from a blow that possibly would have killed him. Him and I have been friends ever since. But I sense that you feel like I have taken offense to your question." He waved his hand dismissively. "Nonsense, it's not that easy to offend a Qunari who has been hit with sticks." Evangeline raised an eyebrow at the odd statement. "You've been hit with sticks? Who hit you with sticks? Why were you hit with sticks?" Evangeline couldn't stop the questions from flowing out of her mouth, out of shock. Bull smirked. "So many questions from such a tiny being. Well it is kind of a desensitization method for battle against the most ruthless enemies. I get hit with a stick a few times, and a little scratch on the battlefield doesn't bother me a bit." Evangeline rubbed her chin. "That's... interesting.." All was quiet. Evangeline decided to break the silence. "So, i'll see you around, Bull?" Bull smiled and nodded in confirmation. "See you later, Bas."

Evangeline started walking toward the sparring field to converse with Cassandra. Cassandra was acting as an overseer of sorts, to keep order on the field. "Cassandra!" Evangeline shouted, running toward Cassandra. Cassandra turned around, with a shocked and slightly worried look. "Inquisitor! What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Evangeline shook her head. "No, but I need to talk to you. It's about Bull." Cassandra looked to the left and right, confused. "Yes? What about him?" Cassandra crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side. Evangeline twiddled her fingers nervously and dug her toe into the soil. It was a nervous habit that she had, and her companions knew about her nervous habits. Cassandra grinned. "Well? You don't need to be nervous, Inquisitor. It's me you're talking to." Evangeline looked around to see if anybody was listening, but luckily they were all busy sparring. "I have this feeling, about Bull. My stomach feels strange, and my palms get sweaty. I get a bit nervous around him. I don't want to offend him and it's not because he's big and intimidating. It's like I want him to like me." Evangeline took a deep breath now that a weight was lifted off of her chest. Cassandra bore a blank expression for a moment, then the biggest grin spread across her face. "Ah. It sounds like you may have romantic feelings for Iron Bull." She chuckled. "Don't be embarrassed, Inquisitor. It happens to the best of us." Cassandra started to turn back around. Evangeline blushed. "Well that's what i'm worried about! I don't want to have feelings for anybody! That's not a priority of mine at the moment! Also, how would you know about romance? Are you in love, Cassandra?" Evangeline taunted Cassandra. Now it was Cassandra's turn to blush as dark as a beet. "A-a-absolutely not!" Evangeline started to laugh. "It's Varric, isn't it?" Cassandra blushed deeper now. "N-no! Shut the fuck up!" Cassandra quickly stormed away, back toward the sparring field. Evangeline felt a knot in her stomach. Had she damaged her friendship with Cassandra now? Evangeline felt like she had pushed Cassandra too far this time.

Evangeline felt that continuous knot in her stomach as she walked up towards the chantry. She saw Sera over by Varric's tent, with what appeared to be a bear's testicles. Evangeline just watched as Sera snuck the organ into Varric's knapsack. Evangeline couldn't help but roll her eyes; another one of Sera's stupid pranks. However, she knew she had to play it cool while confronting Sera about the prank. She folded her hands behind her back, straightened her posture out, and slowly but surely walked over to Sera's side. Sera didn't hear the Inquisitor approaching, but she saw the shadow of Evangeline loom over her, before instinctively meeting Evangeline's gaze. "Well hey there, Inquisitor. I was just about to leave." Sera started to nonchalantly walk away, but Evangeline stopped her by putting an arm in front of her. "What was that you just put in Varric's knapsack, Sera?" Evangeline raised a questioning eyebrow, but Sera grinned. "Oh, right, right." She grabbed the knapsack and held the testicles at the bottom of the knapsack, letting them dangle. "The knapsack has a ballsack, yeah?" Sera snorted with laughter but Evangeline just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Immature. "Nobody is in the mood for your games, Sera. Give it a rest." Evangeline spoke over her shoulder and made her way back to her quarters. Evangeline was so tired, even though it was just shy of noon. All she wanted to do was sleep.

When Evangeline next woke up, it was morning. She sat up, rubbing her aching head, trying to remember what day it was. She thought it was concerning that she didn't even know the date. However, she could recall dreams that she attempted to repress; dreams about Bull, arousing dreams. No matter how hard she tried to discard those dreams from her memory, they kept reappearing to her dismay. A knock on the door jolted her from her thoughts. "C-come in!" Evangeline called to whoever was at the door. The doorknob turned, and in walked Mother Giselle. "Oh, good morning, Mother Giselle." Greeted Evangeline. Mother Giselle smiled warmly, and Evangeline could almost feel a motherly feeling emanating from Mother Giselle. "Good morning to you, Inquisitor. I trust you slept well?" Mother Giselle stood at the foot of Evangeline's bed. "Yes, and for a long time too! How long have I been asleep?" She swung her feet over the bed-side and held her head in her hands. Mother Giselle seemed to be counting in her head. "About 18 hours, Inquisitor." This had Evangeline shaken. Evangeline hoped she had misheard what Mother Giselle said due to the thickness of her accent, but she knew she had heard correctly. Slowly but surely, Evangeline stood up as Mother Giselle helped to stabilize her. "Well, what is the plan for today? Does Cassandra need anything?" Mother Giselle sighed. "No, it's Cullen. They are wondering if you have chosen to side with the mages or templars, Lady Inquisitor. It's best you give them their answer soon. The tension is overbearing." Mother Giselle turned her back to Evangeline and walked out of the room. Evangeline decided to dress and head to the war room. As Evangeline was walking to the Chantry, she gazed up at the rift, and she could see it had not gotten any smaller, nor had it grown much. Hopefully, she thought, they had time before it swallowed all of Ferelden.

Evangeline entered the war room, and to her disbelief, her advisors were already arguing about who to side with. Cullen was the minority, arguing for the favor of the templars, while Cassandra, and Leliana were disagreeing, and insisting upon the mages. Evangeline knew this would be a tough decision. Her advisors noticed her walking into the room, and they all turned their attention toward her. "Inquisitor, have you made a decision yet?" Asked Leliana. Evangeline inhaled, and exhaled deeply before giving her answer. "I believe it would be best to side with the mages this time. sorry Cullen." Cullen had an extreme look of disappointment on his face, while the women had smug and possibly even cocky expressions of agreement. "Why? Do you have an explanation, Inquisitor? Please, enlighten me." Cullen suggested sarcastically. "Cullen, I did not mean to offend you. It's just that, I believe we could definitely use more magic in the Inquisition. We have enough sword and shield warriors, it's time we had more mages." Evangeline explained, leaning against the war table. Cassandra walked around the war table. "She is right. Also, I believe the Inquisition will protect the mages that have been victims of persecution. It will give them sanctuary, that both parties will benefit from." Cassandra smiled at Evangeline. Evangeline sighed a breath of relief. Now she could sleep better knowing that Cassandra wasn't as angry with her as she perceived. Although Cullen did not agree with Evangeline's decision for an ally, he was still supportive, as everybody as this point was so desperate to close the breach.

 _NOTE: The next chapter will just skip ahead and take place at the celebration after the Herald closes the breach. I have not played up to this part in a while, so I don't remember exactly what went on before the breach was closed. SOOOOO let's just start at the celebration, mkay? Sounds good. :)_

 _Thank you guys so much by the way for reading. This is my first published fanfiction, and I don't know how it is turning out in your guys' opinion, so reviews and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The breach was succesfully closed. There was music and dancing, hooting and hollering. There was no tension in the air. The celebration was held in honor of Andraste's Herald's success in closing the breach. After all the Inquisition had been through, it was finally over, or so they thought. Amongst all of the drunken dancing and celebration, Evangeline sat by the tents. Even with the celebration and the positive energy, she could feel deep down that something was not right. The breach was incredibly easy to close; too easy. She felt somebody approach her from behind, the hairs on her neck stood up. She quickly looked behind her, to meet Cassandra's gaze. The young seeker lowered herself to the ground and took a seat next to a tensed-up Inquisitor. "Something ails you, Inquisitor? Relax! We have successfully closed the breach, there are no more holes in the sky. What is your definition of perfect, Inquisitor? Right now is the closest thing to perfect Thedas has been since the appearance of the breach." Cassandra offered her a goblet of wine, but Evangeline politely refused. "We are celebrating too early. Something isn't right, Cassandra." Cassandra frowned. "Whatever do you m-" Cassandra wasn't able to finish her question before yells of alarm interrupted her. Evangeline immediately pushed herself up off of the ground and spied the location where frightened onlookers pointed. By the look of it, there had to be well over a thousand figures marching down the mountain toward Haven. The torches they all held caused a menacing glare. As Evangeline squinted through the smoke filled view, she could see some of the figures had a glowing red aura. Before she could think further, commander Cullen interrupted her thoughts. "Lady Inquisitor, we have company." Evangeline cocked her head and opened her mouth sarcastically. "No shit! Well then the polite thing to do would be to allow them in and invite them for tea and crumpets!" She snapped, before storming toward the gated entrance to Haven. A boy's voice could be heard shouting among the terrified rambling of the inhabitants of Haven. "Open the gates! Open the gates!" Cried the young man. Evangeline questioned the trustworthiness of the voice, but her gut feeling told her to listen and do as the boy said. The soldiers of the Inquisition unbarred the gates, to reveal a boy in an oversized hat pulling a bloodied sword out of the now dead body of a templar. "There are templars heading toward Haven. They have been corrupted with red lyrium." The boy explained. "Well then we best do something about it! Haven is not going down without a fight!" Cassandra boldly exclaimed. "Well, what do you suppose we do?" Evangeline shouted in the heat of the moment. Everybody seemed to be thinking. Suddenly, Cullen spoke up. "The trebuchets! They won't stop the templars from coming, but it will definitely buy us some time." All party members involved agreed, even though they were desperate to do anything to save their sanctuary. There was more than one trebuchet. Evangeline figured she would have to man the trebuchets herself while everybody else fought off the offending templars. It would be a risky mission, but Evangeline knew that if there was a slim chance Haven and its inhabitants could be saved, she would take it; even if her own life was lost in the process.

The north trebuchet was currently not occupied, which was a good sign that it wasn't yet overtaken by foes. However, the team had to keep it that way. As soon as Evangeline started to aim the trebuchet, she heard hurried and heavy footsteps in the snow several feet away. To her dismay, the corrupted templars had gotten there, but luckily not before the Inquisition. She was barely able to turn the trebuchet one more time before a blood curdling war cry pierced her ears, and she was almost crushed by a templar's mace. She drew her weapon and fearlessly stood her ground from the templar. The templar swung at her, but she easily evaded the attack and parried before delivering a fatal payback strike. She could hear her companions struggling, and she wanted to help them, but her hands were tied, as she was up against powerful foes of her own. The first five enemies that arrived were defeated. Blood now soaked the warriors, and the ground they stood upon. It wasn't long, however, before another wave of templars arrived at the scene. In between waves, Evangeline was fortunate enough to turn and aim the trebuchet piece by piece, until finally, it was ready to fire. After the third wave, the trebuchet was aimed perfectly at the horde of red templars. It fired, and hit its mark, inducing cries of pain from where it hit. Unfortunately it only slowed the foes down a little, as they were still coming toward Haven by the twenties. Cullen caught up with Evangeline as the struggle raged on. Little did Evangeline know, they were faced with another concern. "Lady Inquisitor, the south trebuchet isn't firing for some strange reason. Do you mind investigating, and hopefully firing it when we find out what the problem is?" Evangeline shrugged. "Do I have a choice?" Cullen shook his head. "I'll go check it out, commander." Evangeline waved for her companions to follow her, as they replenished their stock of potions from the nearby supply cache, and made their way toward the south trebuchet.

As soon as they arrvied at the south trebuchet, they saw that the red templars had taken it before they could get a chance to start aiming it. In order to start aiming the trebuchet, the group understood that they had to defeat all of the foes at the trebuchet. Bold and headstrong Evangeline was the first to race toward the red templars, taking them by surprise. She immediately delivered a fatal stroke to the head of a red templar, splitting his skull two thirds of the way through. The red templars, as corrupted and angry as they were, knew that Evangeline and the Inquisition were forces to be reckoned with. Cassandra greeted a red templar with a staggering shield bash, before hacking and slashing like a mindless monster, before the templar was no more than a bloodied pulp in the snow. Iron Bull effortlessly grabbed two templars by the heads and bashed them together, knocking the two men unconscious before mercilessly killing them. Sera fired an arrow, as it found its way through a templar's jugular, instantly killing him, leaving no room for pain. The team was undefeated, but it was too early to celebrate, as they still had a trebuchet to fire. "What now? Firing the trebuchet will only slow them down, it will be wasting a shot! We need a more permanent solution." Cassandra suggested with concern, and for good reason. Suddenly, an idea made its way into Evangeline's head. "Aim for the mountains! It will ultimately cause an avalanche, burying the red templars." Evangeline's idea was practical. "Well then, all of Haven will be buried along with them, Evangeline. I don't think that's a great idea." Cassandra said spitefully. Evangeline turned her head to look at Cassandra, determination gleaming in her eyes. "I would rather be buried along with Haven knowing that I did something to keep it out of the wrong hands. If you won't aim the trebuchet, then I will!" Before anybody could do anything to stop her, Evangeline stormed toward the trebuchet, aimed, and fired. It hit its mark perfectly. The loose snow came rumbling down the side of the mountain, burying the red templars in its path. A smirk found its way on Evangeline's face, but it left when they heard the blood chilling screech of a dragon. The creature soared toward the trebuchet where Evangeline and her companions were standing. Instincts of survival kicked in. "MOVE! NOW!" Screamed Evangeline. As her companions retreated, Evangeline backed away, not taking her eyes off of the dragon. She turned around and ran as fast as she could, but she was not fast enough. The force of the trebuchet being broken was enough to knock her into the ground, as she went black for a few seconds.

She slowly opened her eyes, and she was surrounded by flames. Through the smoke, she made out a large figure with surprisingly lanky arms. As the figure got closer to her, she could make out a disfigured, but still human-like face. The hands were terrfiying bird like claws that she could imagine slicing through her flesh. She slowly stood to her feet, not allowing the creature to be above her level. Suddenly the same dragon that had knocked her to the ground landed, bounding toward her and the creature, whom she assumed to be the dragon's master. She tried not to show her fear of the dragon and the strange being, but it seemed to seep through like blood on cloth. She backed away, but could feel the hot breath of the dragon on her neck, as she turned around, the dragon sent a fearsome screech up to the heavens. The man-creature held out a hand. "Enough!" He bellowed, before the dragon became a bit more docile. It seemed that this being had some sort of control over the beast. Could he have used the same method to corrupt the templars? "Pretender," the being's voice was deep, and disturbingly calm, but menacing. "You toy with forces beyod your ken. No more." The being's eyes bore through Evangeline's soul. Evangeline didn't want to feel intimidated. "Whatever you are, i'm not afraid!" She retorted boldly. The being's facial expression didn't seem to change. It remained as an expression of unbearable hatred. "Words mortals often hurl at the darkness. Once, they were mine. They are always lies. Know me, know what you have pretended to be. Exakt the Elder One, the will that is Corypheus." The being known as Corypheus slowly raised a bony finger toward Evangeline. "You. Will. Kneel." He growled ominously. Evangeline wrinkled her nose and forehead angrily. "You- you'll get NOTHING out of me!" Evangeline knew she must remain defiant, and not give in to Corypheus' intimidating threats and actions. "You will resist. You will _always_ resist. It matters not. I am here for the anchor. The process of removing it, begins _now_." She suddenly saw a bronze orb laced with red glowing cracks in Corypheus' hand. He shot out a hand and she could feel the energy in her mark resisting and fighting against the force trying to remove it from its host. She held her hand, trying to resist under the pressure. "It is your fault, "Herald". You interrupted a ritual years in the plannng, and instead of dying, you stole its purpose. I do not know how you survived, but what marks you as "touched", what you flail at rifts, I crafted to assault the very heavens. And you used the anchor to undo my work. The Gall!" The energy became too great for the Inquisitor to handle, and she fell to her knees, still holding her hand. "Why did the Divine die?! For this CHAOS?!" Evangeline tried to buy herself time to quickly think of an escape plan. Unfortunately, at the moment, she could come up with nothing. "The "chaos" will empower me, and ensure we no longer beg at the feet of the invisible." As Evangeline was trying to recover, she did not hear Corypheus' footsteps approaching rapidly. He grabbed her roughly by her hand as she gasped in surprise, and raised her in the air with terrifying strength that she could not fight against. "I once breached the fade in the name of another, to serve the old Gods of the empire in person. I found only chaos and corruption. Dead whispers. For a thousand years I was confused. No more." Corypheus brought Evangeline closer until they were face to face, and she tried to turn her face away to evade the gaze and rancid breath of this horrid being. "I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own, to champion withered Tevinter and correct this blighted world. BEG that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the gods," He brought his face closer to Evangeline's. "And it. was. empty." Without warning, he hurled Evangeline against the trebuchet, as she hit it with a yelp of pain. She leaned against the trebuchet, still aching from being tossed around like a worthless toy. She tried to push herself back against the trebuchet as Corypheus made his way over toward her. "The anchor is permanent, you have spoiled it with your stumbling." Corypheus snarled. Evangeline felt like he had rambled enough. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed a nearby sword, holding it defensively at the ready. Corypheus sneered. "So be it. I will begin again, find another way to give this world the nation- and _god_ it requires." Evangeline looked around, and spied another nearby snow-covered mountain. "And you." Corypheus continued. "I will not suffer even an unknowing rival. You must die." He started walking toward Evangeline, coming in for the kill. Evangeline shook her head and chuckled. "You expect me to fight, but that's not why I kept you talking. Enjoy your victory! Here's your prize!" At the last word, she fiercely kicked the wheel of the aimed trebuchet, causing it to launch a large stone at the nearest mountain. It hit its mark, and the rumbling seemed to shake everything nearby. Evangeline started to flee, running as fast as she can, not only out of fear that Corypheus or the dragon could catch her, but also out of fear of the avalance she had just caused. It was going to bury Haven, and the only thing she could think of before she was knocked down a shaft was if her companions made it out alright. She hoped this was not the end. It couldn't be the end. She knew it was just the beginning of a long and tedious war. These were her last thoughts as she was falling, before everything went black.

 _Woo! A third chapter down, how about that guys?! It was really intense to write, even though I got pretty much all the dialogue in this scene from a playthrough I saw on youtube, because I was much too lazy to play through the quest "In Your Heart Shall Burn" again right now, because that really was a pain, let me tell you. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed. The fourth chapter should be up before long. I am trying to get some writing in every day. Feel free to leave reviews letting me know how I am doing, or to leave any comments, questions, concerns, or ideas. Thank you and love you guys! ^_^_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _I know, soooooo many typos in the last chapter, right? I cringed at each and every one, but I don't know how to edit fics from the website, so I didn't. But i'll try to pay attention to what i'm doing on this chapter, heehee! Anyway, here is the fourth chapter, I sincerely hope you enjoy! ^_^_

 _NOTE: I know the Inquisitor doesn't wake up at the camp, but I am just going to skip ahead and change things up a little bit, to kickstart the romance between Bull and Lavellan._

Evangeline opened her eyes, having no idea or recollection of what had previously happened. She just remembered the rumble of snow, a pain in her head, and then... blackness. Her vision was blurry, but she could slightly make out a large, muscular horned figure sitting by her bedside, it was Iron Bull. She smiled weakly. "Hello, Bull. Man, am I glad to see your face." Evangeline reached out a hand to check for a hallucination. Her hands roamed around his unshaven face, confirming that he wasn't a hallucination. "It's me, Bas. That must have been a hard knock to the head, you've been out for three days." Bull picked up a water canteen from the table next to the bed, and gently pressed it to Evangeline's dehydrated lips. "Drink, you're dehydrated. You could be dying." He insisted, a concerned tone in his voice. Evangeline didn't like being told what to do, but she didn't have the energy to argue, so she took a few swigs of water, and let her head flop back down onto the pillow, exhausted. "So, Bull, why are you taking care of me? A big strong Qunari warrior like you shouldn't be caught dead nursing someone back to health. I didn't think your kind was capable of having concern for other people's well being." Evangeline teased, sitting up. Bull shrugged. "Well, you've probably gotten that misconception from the rumor that Qunari don't make love. That rumor is true, sexual situations are more of a recreational thing, not something we do out of love. But that doesn't make us incapable of having compassion for somebody." All was silent in the tent. It was a little awkward, so somebody had to change the subject. Bull held a hand against Evangeline's forehead. "You're burning up. Drink more water." He handed the canteen to Evangeline to drink. He pushed himself up from the chair he was sitting in. "I'll let everybody know that the Herald of Andraste is awake." He turned and winked at Evangeline with his good eye. She couldn't help but smile. That Iron Bull is really something, she thought. She dismissed that thought as quick as it came. She couldn't be falling in love. She was the Inquisitor for Andraste's sake, she didn't have time for romance.

Evangeline made her way out of her tent. For some strange reason, all was silent. She looked around at the inhabitants of the camp. Suddenly, Mother Giselle walked into view, and did the last thing Evangeline expected her to do: she started to sing.

 _Shadows fall, and hope has fled. Steel your heart, the dawn will come._

 _The night is long, and the path is dark, look to the sky for one day soon the dawn will come._

The melody was haunting, but strangely comforting. Surprisingly, Leliana joined in on the singing, and continued to sing:

 _The shepherd's lost and his home is far, keep to the stars the dawn will come._

 _The night is long and the path is dark, look to the sky, for one day soon,_

 _the dawn will come._

Evangeline watched, shocked as Cullen, and everyone else chimed in. The former inhabitants of Haven approached Evangeline, and took a knee in respect.

 _Bare your blade, and raise it high, stand your ground, the dawn will come._

 _The night is long, and the path is dark, look to the sky for one day soon,_

 _the dawn will come._

Once again, all was silent. Iron Bull's voice broke the ice, "Well, what now? Haven is destroyed, and we can't stay here. We need to find another sanctuary, we can't just be sitting ducks out here in the cold, waiting for Corypheus to find Evangeline. Anybody have any ideas?" Solas spoke out. "Skyhold, or Tarasyl'an Te'las." Sera giggled. "Skyhold? Bleh bleh blah blah? What does that mean?" Solas glared at her. "Tarasyl'an Te'las, or 'the place where the sky is kept' in elvish. It is a fortress not too far from here. It will be our best bet when laying low, so Corypheus doesn't know our location." He gazed at nothing in the distance, through the dust of the falling snow. Evangeline clapped her hands together. "Well then, what are we standing here for? We should start toward Skyhold right now. The sooner the better." Evangeline started off in the direction of which Solas was looking. The Inquisition packed up, and slowly but surely, made their way toward Skyhold.

A few hours later, they could all make out the faint shape of Skyhold in the distance. Cassandra started walking a little faster than the others. "Inquisitor, advisors, once we get there, you are to go straight to the war room, nowhere else. We need to plan our next move, and get familiar with the fortress." Cassandra's orders were clear, but Evangeline found herself wanting to learn more about Bull, as his culture was so interesting. About thirty minutes later they found themselves on the bridge to Skyhold. Evangeline gawked at the massive fortress that loomed above them. Oh yeah, Corypheus definitely wouldn't find them here, she thought sarcastically. Cassandra strode past Evangeline. "Remember where to meet, Inquisitor. Don't be late." Evangeline nodded her understanding, but looked around to see if she could find Bull. He was nowhere around her. Skyhold was a magnificent looking fortress, and it even had its own tavern, with a minstrel and everything. Evangeline decided not to heed Cassandra's orders, the war room could wait, she thought. She suddenly felt her heart skip a beat as she saw Bull over by the training grounds of Skyhold. A smile crept to her face, as she approached Bull. He saw her approaching, and waved. "Glad to see you're feeling better, Evangeline." Her heart skipped two more beats when she heard his deep but attractive voice speak her name. He had never spoken her name before. She felt her face grow hot, and she couldn't keep herself from stuttering. "G-good to see you too, B-Bull." She felt her face grow as red as her hair. "I-i'm sorry, Bull. How is your day going?" She stood side by side with Bull. Bull grinned. "Don't be nervous, it's just me. How about we take this to the tavern. Nothing like a drink to loosen the old tongue, eh?" He playfully slapped the Dalish elf on the back, almost knocking her over. As Evangeline regained her balance, she nodded rapidly. "T-that would be, awesome, Bull! Let's go!" Evangeline looked around to make sure none of her advisors were present before her and Bull made their way into the tavern.

It was the perfect atmosphere in the tavern. The lightning was slightly dim, the minstrel played a well known song on her lute, and people were just laughing and having a good time. The only thing that would have made Evangeline happier was having Bull at her side, which he was. There was absolutely nothing she would trade that moment for. Her and Bull got some drinks and chose a table, far away from the entrance to the tavern, just in case her advisors came looking for her. "So, anything you have to say to me or ask me, Evangeline?" Evangeline shrugged. "I am not sure, Bull. I do have some questions about the Qun, though." Bull took a large swig of his ale. "Ask away." Evangeline timidly folded her hands. "Well, what exactly is the Qun?" Evangeline asked. "The Qun is a code of honor among the Qunari race. We abide by it, because we believe every being has a role to keep order in our culture. Although I stay loyal to the Qun, there are things I do that the Qun would disapprove of." He explained, taking another drink of his ale. Evangeline was curious as to what he did that the Qun disapproved of. "What do you do that is against the rules of the Qun, if you don't mind me asking, of course?" Iron Bull chuckled. "Oh, you know, drinking, being lazy, boasting, flirting, sleeping around" He winked, which made Evangeline blush. "Especially with redheads." He groaned, seemingly remeniscing about something that Evangeline wasn't sure she wanted to know about. "Redheads." He flicked a lock of Evangeline's red hair, which made her blush even harder. Evangeline smirked, and took a long swig of her ale. "Well, I never told you, but I think I have a thing for big, strong Qunari men." With each word, she tapped her finger on Iron Bull's nose, which made him chuckle. "I don't want to be getting you drunk, Miss. Lavellan. I may be a brute, but I would like to think of myself as respectful towards women." Evangeline scoffed. "Drunk? I am not drunk. I have not had nearly enough drinks to become drunk, Bull. You're drunk if you think i'm drunk." She took a dainty sip of her ale, which made Bull burst into loud obnoxious laughter. "You're adorable, you know that?" He guzzled the rest of his ale. "Another!" He declared, before a tavern wench filled his glass to the top. Evangeline took the last sip and raised her glass. "I will have another as well, please." The woman smiled and filled hers to the top as well. A couple of hours passed, and Evangeline lost track of how many drinks her and Bull shared. She was ashamed to admit it, but she knew she was now officially drunk. She knew she had to be on her guard, as her judgement was decreased because of all the drinks she had. With Bull being the ladies man that he was, she was afraid he would try and come on strong, but surprisingly, he was the perfect gentleman. "It's getting a bit dark out, and this is a new town with people you don't know. Why don't you let me walk you to your bedchambers?" He offered. A red flag went off in Evangeline's head. "No, no that's alright." She slowly pushed herself up from this chair. "You sure? An attractive young lady like yourself shouldn't be walking by yourself in the dark." This made Evangeline blush. He thought she was pretty? Oh, snap out of it, Evangeline. He's just trying to get in your pants. She thought. "No, really, i'm fine. But thank you, Bull, for this wonderful night." She turned and left as quickly as she could.

She was stumbling around like an idiot, and her vision was blurred. It was so dark outside, she wondered how long she had been in the tavern. Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps and male laughter. "Well, look what we have here, fellas. It looks like the little elf girl is lost." Her vision cleared up, and she could see that it was a man in his mid thirties, along with two other men of the same age. "Yeah, and I would like to get some sleep, now if you don't mind." Evangeline tried to sidestep the man, but he mirrored her move and blocked her path. Evangeline was getting annoyed. "Look, asshole. I'm the Herald of Andraste, and I was gifted with power you would have to see to believe. But I can almost guarantee, that you don't want to see it, because it will be used on you if you don't get out of my way." She snarled. The men erupted in laughter. "Ooooh, a little five foot five Dalish Elf thinks she's so tough." Their leader mocked. "She's pretty." One of the men put a hand on her face. "You put a hand on me again, and i'll fuck you up!" She spat. The same man tapped her on the shoulder, testing her, and then got a headbutt to the face. He let out cries and screams of pain, holding his face. "I- I think that little bitch broke my nose!" The other two men circled her. "Oh you're going to be sorry you did that, sweetheart." She tried to kick one of the men in the private quarters, but he was too fast for her and caught her foot, causing her to fall to the ground. Before she could get up the leader crawled on top of her, and tugged at her leather jerkin she was wearing. She kneeled him, hard, and he let out a pained grunt, but it didn't stop him. She did the last thing she wanted to do, she screamed. The two men laughed. "You seriously think that's going to do anyth- OOMPH!" The man was immediately knocked off of her. Iron Bull moved above her protectively. "Gentlemen, I believe you're ruining this young lady's night." The men looked at him, then at Evangeline, then back at Bull. "Come on guys, this bitch isn't worth facing this damn cow mountain." The two men supported their injured party member, and ran as fast as they could. Iron Bull watched them leave, then turned his attention to a terrifed, shaking, and mentally scarred Evangeline.Iron Bull offered a hand to her, which she accepted without a second thought. He pulled her to her feet. "Are you alright?" He asked, concerned for Evangeline's well-being. She nodded, biting her lip. "You know, I can still walk you to your chambers if that is what makes you feel safer." Evangeline stood on her tip-toes, and planted a chaste peck on Bull's cheek. "I'm exhausted, Bull. I don't think I can walk, I feel dizzy and nauseous." She swayed from side to side, and collapsed into Bull's arms. He effortlessly picked up the Dalish Elf in his arms, as gently as if he were holding a newborn babe, and made his way to her bedchambers. Bull felt humbled, but more importantly, he felt loved. Nobody, a beautiful woman no less, had ever shown him love before. He felt himself tear up, as he made his way through the throne room towards Evangeline's bedroom. He opened the door, and gently laid her in her bed after taking off her shoes. He delicately pulled a blanket over her, seeing a sleepy smile touch Evangeline's angelic lips. He leaned down, and laid a warm kiss on her forehead. "Sweet dreams... Kadan."

 _Ohhhmahhhhgoodness, that was an interesting mix of intense and fluffy. I almost felt it was kind of Beatuy and the Beast-esque, you know, when Beast saves Belle from the wolves, and they fall in love. Squee! I hope you guys enjoyed it. And don't be mislead, our Inquisitor is anything but a damsel in distress, but I just needed something to bring Bull and Evangeline closer together. I sincerely hoped you guys enjoyed it!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _By the way, shout out to my peeps on the Facebook group, Dragon Age Universe for giving me the support and advice I need to make this story possible :) Enjoy Chapter 5 of "Kadan, My Heart"!_

Evangeline's eyes fluttered open. The sunlight flooded in as rays of light through the windows. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, as the door opened. It was Bull, with a tray of food and orange juice, a pleasant surprise to Evangeline. "Good morning, sunshine. I thought you might be hungry." Bull set the tray down on Evangeline's lap as she thanked him. "You, really didn't have to do that, Bull." Evangeline smiled up at the tall Qunari mercenary. "I know I didn't _have_ to. I _wanted_ to. I figured you've had a difficult night, so I wanted to bring you breakfast in the comfort of your bed." He sat on the bed, raising Evangeline's side of the bed up a little. Evangeline took a small bite of her toast, followed by a sip of orange juice. "I don't remember this food being on the Tavern menu." Said Evangeline as she wolfed down the rest of her toast. Bull smiled. "It's not. Something told me you really like eggs and toast for breakfast, so I made it." Evangeline swallowed the bite she took. "You- you made this? It's- amazing! I did not know you could cook!" She held her arms open and gave the Qunari a big hug. He put a loving arm around her. "I didn't know I could cook either, Kadan." He chuckled. "What does Kadan mean? You went from calling me boss, to my name, to this 'Kadan'. What does it mean, Bull?" She gazed up at Bull with her doe eyes. Bull smiled, and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Kadan, my heart." He brought his face closer to hers, and they shared a tender first kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers. "Bull, I- I-" She stuttered. "Let me know if this is going too fast. I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He said, barely above a whisper. She shook her head and smiled. "No, no, not at all. I just, feel something for you, Bull. I- I think I love you. When I first met you, I felt it, but I didn't want to acknowledge those feelings. I didn't feel like I had time for love, I didn't think I was even capable of love. But you have finally made me spill my heart out to you. I knew I loved you and wanted to be with you the first time I met you." She kissed him again. "I love you." Suddenly, she remembered something. "But, you told me that there was no such thing as having romantic feelings for someone else, amongst the Qunari. You told me that things like sex were merely recreational." She looked down. "That's traditionally the way Qunari are raised. But I don't consider myself a traditional Qunari. I just wanted to tell you, Kadan... I love you too..." She smiled and set the breakfast aside, lying down as she pulled Bull down next to her. He lovingly embraced her in his arms as they both knew there was such a thing as true love, and nobody was ever going to bring them apart. Ever.

Meanwhile, a very furious Cassandra Pentaghast paced back and forth in the war room. Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen watched her, concerned. "She said she was going to be here. Last. Night." Cassandra growled through clenched teeth. "Well, don't get too stressed out, Cassandra. She will be here." Cullen tried to console the fuming Cassandra. "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID YESTERDAY! I told her to meet us, in the war room. It is a priority to gain knowledge of our surroundings!" The door suddenly swung open, and a twitterpated Evangeline danced into the room, hugging herself. "Good morning!" She giggled. Josephine, Cullen, and Leliana raised eyebrows in question. Evangeline wasn't acting like herself. Cassandra crossed her arms. "I think you mean, good afternoon. Where the hell were you yesterday? I thought I made it perfectly clear we were meeting here in the war room." Evangeline put a hand sheepishly on the back of her head. "Oh, yeahhhhhh. Well, I was absolutely beat from the journey to Skyhold. I found my bedroom, and went straight to bed, nothing else." Evangeline lied through her teeth. "Really? Well then, I suppose we can just start business now." Cassandra started to cool down a bit. Evangeline felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. She knew she shouldn't have lied to Cassandra and the others, but what else was she supposed to do? Openly tell them about her morning with Bull? "Well then, what are we up to this morning, everybody?" She asked, leaning on the war table. "We must investigate the Exalted Plains. There has been lack of communication between troops, so we are expecting the worst. Go, and see what is going on." Leliana ordered. Evangeline nodded. "Go and investigate at the Exalted Plains, got it." Evangeline quickly turned on her heel and walked out of the war room. She gathered her usual party: Bull, Sera, and Cassandra, and they quickly, without question, traveled to the Exalted Plains.

The Exalted Plains were almost deserted, except for the camps scattered around. It was almost a swamp-like setting, with creatures Evangeline had never seen before. Although there were dragons, which Bull was extremely ecstatic about. Evangeline found herself walking very close to Bull, as she just felt safer near him. They made sure to walk behind Cassandra and Sera, as they walked side by side, holding hands with their fingers interlocked. They found Inquisition guards near a base. Cassandra started to look back at Bull and Evangeline, so they quickly stopped holding hands and didn't walk so close to one another. Corporal Rosselin saw Evangeline and quickly bowed. "Inqusitor! Thank the maker you came as soon as you could! The undead have been a big problem for the Inquisition to deal with. Please deal with them so the Exalted Plains will be safer." Evangeline nodded. "Will do, Corporal Rosselin, thank you." She waved for her team to follow her. They had a feeling this was going to be a long and tedious task, as the Undead could keep on coming. They headed to the Western Ramparts and saw a horde of undead with weapons of their own. Sera scoffed. "How the hell did they get weapons? Well, no mind. You could say they're _dead meat_!" She let out a loud and obnoxious guffaw. It was then that Evangeline wanted to slap herself. "Everyone in this group is now dumber for having listened to that pun, Sera." Evangeline sighed as she drew her sword. "Come on guys, you're _killing me,_ yeah?" Sera giggled. Evangeline shook her head, and charged toward the undead, letting out a fearsome war cry to freeze the undead in their tracks. She decapitated two corpses in one blow. "Nice one, Kadan!" Iron Bull winked. Evangeline smiled and kept on with her attacks. Iron Bull raised his two handed weapon and struck down everything that dared cross his path. Cassandra and Sera were fighting their own battles as well. Within a minute, all the undead in the Western Ramparts were defeated. "That was easy, too easy." Cassandra said suspiciously. Luckily, there were no other undead that appeared. "Well, I suppose we should go let Corporal Rosselin know that we have completed his task." Evangeline suggested as she sheathed her weapon. Her team agreed as they started toward Corporal Rosselin. Rosselin was pleased that the undead in the Western Ramparts were defeated. "Wonderful, well done! However, I have a couple more favors to ask of you, Inquisitor. Please set fire to the North and South Pits, blow the horn to let us all know the task is done, and then report back to me afterwards." Evangeline accepted the quest. She knew that the Inquisition needed all the supporters it could get, so if this earned somebody's respect, she was more than happy to do all the tasks in the world for them.

Evangeline had set fire to the North and South pits, before blowing the horn. "How many more tasks do we need to accomplish here?" Asked Sera. Evangeline shrugged. "I have no clue. As many as it takes to gain the support of these soldiers." Sera groaned, frustrated and tired. "They have enough soldiers. Why are they acting like pansies and pushing all the work on somebody else?" Sera had a point. At this point, Evangeline was desperate to close the breach. She wanted all of this chaos to end, so she could live her life with Bull at her side. She dreamed of having a family, but she wanted to raise children in a world without chaos and destruction. She knew closing the breach would always be a priority before having a family. They reported back to Corporal Rosselin, who thanked them graciously and gave them the location of their base in the Exalted Plains. The group decided to explore the Exalted Plains a bit before returning to Skyhold, as Bull insisted upon it. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling screech echoed through the air, Evangeline's heart skipped a beat and her blood ran cold. It was a dragon. "Aw that's badass! Can we fight her?" Evangeline couldn't help but smile, as Bull sounded like a child in a candy shop. Before Evangeline could answer, the dragon looked around and spotted them, before vocalizing her displeasure with their presence. She flapped her wings, creating a powerful and terrfiying vortex that pulled the group toward her. "Oh shit!" Bull exclaimed. The powerful winds kicked up dust, getting into Evangeline's eyes. "Ugh! How are we supposed to get out of this?!" Sera screamed. "We don't. We allow ourselves to be pulled close enough to attack." Bull held his axe at the ready, as the rest of the terrified group drew their weapons as well. The dragon roared, and continued to flap her wings until Bull was a mere two feet from her colossal foot. He grunted and heaved his axe toward her claw, and cut clean through the tendon, causing the dragon to emit a screech of pain. Evangeline couldn't help but feel bad for the dragon. She knew it was crazy, but she felt a great sense of respect for the mother dragon protecting her turf and babies. But it was thanks to that move by Bull that they were released from the vortex, and able to continue their assault on the beast. "Seperate! We can split up and confuse her!" Cassandra's idea was genious, and Evangeline prayed to the Maker that it worked. Evangeline took the bottom left foot, while Bull stayed around the bottom right, as Sera and Cassandra held their ground at the top left and right. First, Evangeline looked for a possible weak spot. She knew that dragons had several, such as the tender underbelly, a small patch above the wing, the mouth, and of course the eyes. Of course, it was a simple strategy to disable one of the legs as a distraction to get closer to one of the many weak points of a dragon. Evangeline decided to sever another one of the dragon's tendons in her foot. She did so, disabling the creature's bottom left foot. The dragon angrily swung her tail, and missed just inches above Evangeline's head. The teammates were all working on individual feet, confusing the beast, so she didn't know where to strike first, as she was overwhelmed with the pain of being attacked from all sides. Sera aimed for one of the eyes of the dragon, hitting her mark. The eye spurted out blood, and blinded the dragon in one eye, so she could not see the left side of her peripheral vision, which was an advantage for Sera and Evangeline. "Sera, switch me sides and do the same for the right eye!" Cassandra ordered. Sera did as she was told, and shot the right eye as well. Now the dragon was completely blinded, and could only rely on her sense of smell, and touch, or just pure luck. Evangeline found herself watching for signs of the dragon's preperation for attack. As she saw the dragon start to open her mouth wide, she used the mark of the rift to attack the dragon with powerful energy as Sera started spamming arrows into the dragon's mouth. This unfortunately only pissed the creature off, as she started swinging her tail back and forth. "Keep working on the feet! Bring her down!" Cried Evangeline. The team hacked and slashed at the feet of the creature, ultimately causing her to collapse on her side. This provided Evangeline and her companions with an opportunity to perform a deadly blow. Evangeline bounded up the creature's wing, and jumped to the neck, as the dragon's scales provided traction for her feet. Evangeline was very nimble and graceful as she effortlessly traveled up to the beast's long neck. With a final blow, Evangeline stabbed her weapon deep into the creature's neck, sliding down and creating an open wound. This was very painful for the dragon, as she gave one last screech of defeat, saying goodbye to her brood, before ceasing to move at all. Evangeline harvested what she thought to be useful from the dragon: a few teeth, a part of the severed talon, and some scales that flaked off of the dragon's unmoving corpse. Evangeline said a silent prayer out of respect, asking the Maker to take care of the dragon's soul, helping her to be at peace. Evangeline heard tiny shrieks coming from a nearby cave. She quickly rounded up her team, and got to higher ground. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw the dragonlings approaching their mother, mourning her death. Iron Bull put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't feel guilty, Kadan. The dragon attacked us first. What we did was merely in self defense." He tried to console her. Evangeline felt a small smile touch her lips as she looked up at her lover. "Let's just get back to Skyhold." Iron Bull nodded in agreement, and the team did just that.

The group returned to Skyhold, exhausted, but satisfied that they had gained an ally, and defeated their first dragon, all within a range of a few hours. Evangeline and Bull met in the tavern for a celebratory drink. "So, Bull, what are some customs of the Qunari?" Bull thought for a few seconds. "Well Qunari lovers usually have something called 'The Necklace of Kadan." It means wearing it, even when apart, will mean you will always be close to the one you love." He gently laid a hand on top of Evangeline's smaller one. "It is made from a dragon's tooth, and once two lovers decide to commit to one another, each partner wears one half of the tooth." He smiled at her. She remembered, she had harvested a tooth from the dragon in the Exalted Plains. She decided she would keep it a secret from Bull until she made it, and give it to him as a surprise. After all, he did save her life, so she knew it was only right to do something nice for him in return. Later on that night, she sawed the tooth in half, and adorned the tooth with obsidian. She put each half onto a long piece of leather. She was so excited to give Bull his gift, she could hardly get any sleep. She knew in the morning he would be hanging out in the tavern, drinking and listening to the minstrel play. For the night, she laid the necklaces on her nightstand, and in the morning, she dressed and hid both necklaces in her shirt. She made her way over to the tavern, and sure enough, she saw Bull slouched casually in a chair against the wall. She couldn't keep the dumb grin off of her face. Bull saw her approaching. "What's new?" She folded her hands behind her back. "Well, I have something for you." She tried not to squeal. Bull grinned. "Well, now that you mention it, I have something for you as well, Kadan. Follow me." He guided her to her bedchambers, and it was nothing like Evangeline had ever imagined. There was so much passion in one room, and Evangeline was so glad she was ready to commit, as she knew this was the person who she wanted to marry. This was the person whose arms she wanted to be securely held in every night. This was the person whose children she wanted to bear. She was in deep love with this man, and she knew he loved her too.

After the fact, they were both spent and sweaty. Iron Bull had no shame in being nude, lying in bed, but Evangeline decided to get dressed. Iron Bull could hardly catch his breath. "What- what was it you wanted to show me, Kadan?" Evangeline could hardly contain her excitement. "This." Evangeline pulled Iron Bull's part of the necklace and revealed it to him. Iron Bull seemed to tear up. "You- you made this? You're ready to commit to a relationship, with, with- a hideous Qunari?" Iron Bull felt a tear roll down his cheek. Evangeline felt her heart break. She wanted this man to feel loved, and wanted. "Bull, you are not ugly. You are one of the most beautiful beings I have ever laid eyes on. You are beautiful, inside and out." She sat on the bed next to him, and laid a loving kiss on his lips. Without warning, the door opened, as Evangeline's heart seemed to stop, and time around them seemed to stop as well. "Inquisitor, are you ready for- AH!" Cullen screamed as he walked in on the naked Qunari. Iron Bull grinned. "Hey Cullen! Enjoying the view?" Cullen put a hand, shielding his eyes. "Not particularly.." Cullen muttered. Josephine walked in next and gasped. "Oh-" She found herself shocked, unable to take her eyes off of the Qunari. Cassandra was the next to walk in, and she yelped in surprise. Iron Bull rolled his eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake." Evangeline felt herselft turn red, but surprisingly enough, she did not feel all that mortified. Cassandra put a hand on her hip. "You've been busy, I take it?" Cassandra scornfully said. "Actually, _she's_ the one that's been taking it." Iron Bull grinned, gesturing to Evangeline. Cullen shrugged. "Well, nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun." He said. Evangeline sighed. "This, this is more than just 'fun', Cullen. Iron Bull and I- we're- we're in love. We want to be together." Evangeline looked back at her Qunari lover, and was met with a loving smile. Cassandra crossed her arms. "When were you going to tell us this, Inquisitor? I wouldn't have had a problem with it." Cassandra raised an eyebrow in question. Evangeline looked down at her feet, twiddling her fingers. "I- I wasn't planning on telling anybody." Cassandra held her forehead in her hand. "Well, now we all know, so we might as well support it. Congratulations, you two." A slight smile appeared on Cassandra's face as she looked over her shoulder at Evangeline and left. Josephine and Cullen left as well, leaving the lovers to their privacy. Evangeline crawled back into bed with the Qunari, and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm protectively around her, silently vowing to never let anything happen to her. Evangeline let her eyes close, as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber, in the arms of the Qunari mercenary. The words echoed in her head.. _Kadan... My heart..._

 _While writing this, I would like to give a shout-out to the composer of the DAI score. Thank you for making a masterpiece of a score for a masterpiece of a game. You sir, deserve a cookie!_

 _Soooooo let me know what you guys think, hope you enjoyed this extremely long chapter. I just had a lot running through my black hole of an imagination. I had to put the funniest scene of the game into this chapter, with Iron Bull and the Inquisitor's advisors. I also had to add some fluffy moments to it. I know, right? Leave it to me to turn a comical moment into an estrogen-fest!_

 _Anyway, let me know what you think! Feel free to leave comments and reviews, and ideas for the next chapter. (Although I already know what will happen next, muahahahahahaha). Stay tuned!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A few months passed, as the Inquisition grew steadily in numbers with each passing day. People were now aware and even open about the romance between Iron Bull and the Inquisitor. Some people disapproved, though, due to the breach still being open. They were worried that Evangeline's mind wasn't where it was supposed to be. They thought it was supposed to be with closing the breach, not on romance. However, Bull and Evangeline's love for one another did not falter or fade. It wasn't until a few days later that Evangeline started to feel that something was different. Her usually slim abdomen grew until it was a noticeable bump. Her breasts felt sore, and she craved the most unusual things. She began to fear the inevitable: she knew she was with child. Usually, she would be extremely happy about it, but she feared for her unborn child's safety while dealing with Corypheus and the breach. She knew she was going to keep the child, so she would have to postpone the closing of the breach until after the baby was delivered. Now, she suddenly felt excited. She was going to be a mother! She couldn't wait to tell Bull the big news. However, she was scared about how he would react. Would he be as happy as she was? Or would he be unhappy with the possibility of starting a family during a time like this? She knew there was only one way to find out. She had to tell him the truth.

Evangeline found Bull relaxing in his usual spot in the tavern. His face lit up when he saw her. "Kadan! Good morning! How are you today?" He asked. She nodded. "I'm fine, Bull. However, I have to talk to you." Bull felt his heart drop. Uh-oh. This could be bad, he thought. "Um, alright? What do you have to say Kadan?" He asked. She looked around nervously, biting her lip. "I meant in private." Bull raised an eyebrow, and started chuckling mischieviously. "Oh, okay, I get your hint. Let's go to your bedchambers." He led her to her bedroom, barely closing the door before locking it. "No, Bull. It's not what you think. I-" She started. He held her hands. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?" He asked, concern in his voice. She shook her head. "Of course not, Bull. But I- I think i'm... pregnant.. with your child." She said, trying to contain her excitement. A look of shock crossed Bull's face. "I, I don't understand-" Uh-oh, here we go, thought Evangeline. "Why you didn't tell me sooner!" He shouted with joy as he picked her up by her waist and twirled around with her. The couple fell on the bed laughing, happy as clams. "Oh, Kadan, i'm so happy! I'm going to be a father!" Tears of joy fell as he kissed Evangeline all over her face. She laughed. "I know! I couldn't be happier!" She held Bull's face in her hands.

He jumped up from the bed. "We have to tell Cassandra, and Cullen, Josephine, Cole, Sera, everybody! We have to get clothes, toys for the baby. And of course new clothes for you, because no offense, Kadan, but you're going to get bigger." He started counting on his fingers, like a child with a brand new puppy. "But Bull, you realize it will be our duty to protect this child. That means I can't seal rifts or anything while i'm with child. That also means, we will have to wait until I deliver to seal the breach and defeat Corypheus once and for all." He nodded. "I understand. But I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!" He yelled. Evangeline put a finger to her lips. "Shhhhh!" She shushed, as Bull rapidly nodded and put a finger to his lips. "Right, right!" He corrected himself. They planned to tell everyone about the great news, but they didn't know when, or how to give the news to their friends.

About a week later, Evangeline and Bull decided it was time to share the news with everybody before she got any bigger. They held a meeting in the throne room, and insisted that everyone in Skyhold attended. The hall filled up fast, with familiar faces, and not so familiar faces. As Bull and Evangeline stood by the throne up front, people whispered and giggled, most likely talking about scandalous things. Evangeline and Bull's companions stood up in front of the crowd. Evangeline signaled for all to be silent, and they obeyed. The throne room suddenly became as quiet as a ghost town, and Evangeline and Bull had the floor. "People of Skyhold, friends and acquaintences! I- I mean, _we_ have gathered you here today for some exciting news. As you all know, Bull and I have become an item." Evangeline scanned the faces of everyone in the crowd as she spoke. "Whether you agree with it or not, we are in love. However, we both are happy to have wonderful news that you may or may not have a good reaction to. I-" Evangeline was interrupted by Bull, as he couldn't hold it in any longer. "She's pregnant! I'm going to be a father!" He blurted excitedly. A murmur made its way through the crowd. Evangeline couldn't tell whether it was happy, disapproving, or scared.

Evangeline made eye contact with her advisors. They all had neutral expressions, so it was hard to tell how they felt about the news. Cassandra stepped up. "You do realize this will be a big responsibility, along bearing the burden of being Andraste's chosen. We will have to wait until after the birth of the child to close the breach. Until then, let's just hope Corypheus doesn't find us first. Other than that, I am happy for the couple's soon to be member of the family." Cassandra smiled, and stepped back into the crowd, initiating a murmur of agreement among the crowd.

A party ensued shortly afterward. Evangeline didn't drink, for fear of harming the baby, but it was still a wonderful party. It was a party just for the women of Skyhold to congratulate the expectant mother. They brought gifts for Evangeline and the baby. There was food, music, and dancing. A few days later, Cassandra presented Evangeline with tiny boots for the baby. Cassandra, and all of Evangeline's friends and advisors were so supportive of her and her pregnancy.

About six months passed, and Evangeline was huge. Her body almost looked out of proportion with her tiny bone structure and swelled up abdomen. Bull was beyond ecstatic to become a father. Evangeline knew how pregnancy worked; it took about nine months for the unborn child to develop, and then the baby was born. Evangeline wasn't sure when her child would be born though, and she was a bit nervous, as she had heard the process was extremely painful. She tried not to focus on the negative, however. All she knew is that she was starting a family with the one she loved, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Her and Bull now slept in the same room, and same bed. Bull held his lover in his arms, and this made her feel secure, and protected. Suddenly, a jolt of pain awoke Evangeline, as she let out a groan. This woke up Bull, as he put a hand against her forehead. "Are you alright, Kadan?" He was worried about Evangeline. She was in so much pain. Evangeline took exaggerated, wheezing breaths in between contractions. "D-do you think it's time?" Evangeline gasped between breaths. She collapsed on the pillow, arching her back with a scream. Evangeline suddenly felt a wet substance leave her body. It got on the bed, but that was the least of her worries at the moment. She knew the baby was coming, and it was coming soon. "Bull! Bull, we need to find a docto- AAHHHHHH!" She screamed, tears trickling down from the corners of her eyes. The door swung open, as Cassandra, Leliana, and Cullen ran into the room with alarmed expressions, weapons in their hands. "We heard the screaming all the way from outside. What's wrong?!" Cassandra ran up to Evangeline and held her shaking hands. "I- I think the baby is coming." She tried to sound as calm as humanly possible, but her voice was shaking and the pain raised her voice louder than she would have preferred. Cassandra looked at Leliana, and Cullen. They knew they had to deliver the baby. Even though they were not experienced midwives, they knew how babies were born.

"Quick! I need some cloths, water, and a blanket for when the baby arrives." Leliana ordered. "Do you know what you're doing, Leliana? I don't want Evangeline or the baby to die." Bull questioned, worried about the wellbeing of the mother of his unborn child. Leliana nodded. "I have watched my mother deliver babies in the past. Now, get those materials and report back to this room as soon as possible." Cassandra and Cullen nodded their understanding of the order, and left, before coming back with the materials that Leliana asked for. Leliana turned her attention toward Evangeline. "Now, I'm going to ask you to relax, and take deep breaths. I think the baby is ready to come out, so I will need you to push for me, Evangeline." Leliana held Evangeline's legs at an angle, as Bull held Evangeline's hand, consoling and comforting her. "Kadan, i'm here, Kadan." He whispered into her ear. She turned her head toward him and nuzzled her nose against his. Evangeline took a deep breath, before pushing, as Bull held her hand. Evangeline tried to keep silent, but she couldn't help the pained cries that escaped from her mouth. "Push, Evangeline, Push!" Evangeline screamed and squeezed Bull's large hand. "Keep going, Evangeline! You're doing great!" Encouraged Leliana. "I see the top of the head!" Evangeline gave one last hard push, screaming, before the cry of a baby was heard. Leliana gently pulled the baby out the rest of the way, cutting the long umbilical cord with a dagger she had in her boot. Leliana smiled up at Evangeline and Bull. "Congratulations, you gave birth to a little baby girl."

Leliana cleaned the child up, before handing her off to the excited new mother and father. "Welcome to the world, little one." Evangeline cooed as she held her newborn child lovingly in her arms. She looked up at an exhilarated Bull. She gently handed the baby to Bull. "She's... beautiful.. Just like her mother." Bull held the tiny child in his muscular arms. "I know, she's going to be a daddy's girl." Bull teased Evangeline. Evangeline playfully slapped Bull on the arm. "Maybe." Evangeline's companions were all in the room, and they all took turns holding the baby. "What are you going to name her?" Vivenne asked. The mother and father looked at each other. "Mireille. Her name is Mireille."

 _So for those of you who are wondering, Mireille is French for "miracle". I just thought it would be sweet to consider your child a miracle. I am personally pronouncing it as "MUR-EEL", but you guys can pronounce her name however you want :) Let me know what you think. If you have any ideas or tips for me, i'm all ears ^_^ Thank you and love you guys!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7-

Evangeline woke up the next morning surprisingly well-rested, ready to start the day with her newborn baby girl. Although the child had woken Evangeline and Bull a couple of times during the night, they didn't mind. They were both ready to start a family, and now that the baby was delivered, the couple knew that defeating Corypheus was now their top priority. Defeating Corypheus was important, as they knew they needed to keep their daughter safe from The Elder One. Evangeline put some regular clothes on, and then dressed Mireille in her handmade clothing that Jospehine so graciously put together for her.

Evangeline and Bull left the room with Mireille in their arms, as they went down to the tavern to eat breakfast. Bull and Evangeline sat at their usual table, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves, which was impossible. Evangeline and her new baby girl were the talk of Skyhold. Everyone wanted to see and hold the baby. They were approached by a random stranger, a woman in armor with her blonde locks tied back out of the way in a ponytail. Evangeline felt that something was off with this woman, but she didn't want to say anything, for fear of being rude. "Greetings, Lady Inquisitor. I just wanted to congratulate you and your partner on your daughter's birth." The woman bowed, a humble gesture, but Evangeline felt she was hiding something. Evangeline was somewhat suspicious, but she smiled and nodded, for the sake of being polite.

"May I hold the child?" The woman smiled and held out her arms to hold Mireille. Evangeline felt her heart drop. She didn't trust this woman, and she wasn't willing to trust her, let alone let her hold her baby. Bull could sense Evangeline's discomfort with the woman's presence, so he put a heavy hand on her shoulder, helping her relax. Evangeline reluctantly handed her daughter off to the shady woman's outstretched arms. The woman gladly took the child from her mother's arms. "Oh, how precious is she?" The woman cooed, bouncing the baby slightly. It was then that Mireille started to wail, so Evangeline quickly took the baby from the woman. "She must be hungry." Lied Evangeline, bearing a fake grin. The woman gave Evangeline a slight glare, and bowed once more. "Well then, good day." The woman stormed out of the tavern, almost knocking the minstrel over in the process.

Bull looked at his Dalish lover. "What was that all about, Kadan?" He asked, thinking Evangeline was being slightly rude to the strange woman. Evangeline pulled down the front of her top as Mireille latched onto her breast, having breakfast of her own. "I didn't feel comfortable with that woman holding, let alone being near our child, Bull. She just seemed suspicious, just something about her.. was off." Evangeline felt it was important to trust her instincts, especially now that Corypheus was on a manhunt to find and eliminate her. But she knew she was probably just being a bit over-zealous with the woman a few minutes before, right?

Brota Hrodwyn clenched her teeth together. This Inquisitor was a clever one. She knew it wouldn't be easy to fool the so-called "Herald of Andraste". Red lyrium danced and weaved itself in between her fingers as she held her hand out in front of her, as though she were looking at a ring. She couldn't help but emit a sinister chuckle as she left the save haven of Skyhold, ready to report back to Corypheus.

Corypheus stood in a secluded cave in the Frostback Mountains, not letting the sting of sunlight touch his pasty, dead skin. He felt humiliated to be outsmarted by a Dalish Elf back at the battle of Haven. Corypheus made a vow to himself, that once he got his hands on that elf, he would crush her like a twig. He vowed he would bend her arms backward, slowly and painfully, until they dislocated themselves from the sockets. Corypheus found himself to be full of hatred. The echo of entering footsteps disrupted the heinous and unspeakable thoughts running through his mind. "Master Corypheus, I have found the girl." Announced Brota. Corypheus didn't even look over his shoulder at her. "Go on..." He growled. "She is in Skyhold as we speak. She is currently in a relationship with the Qunari Mercenary known as The Iron Bull. She has just given birth to a baby girl. But.. Corypheus.. she knows you are after her. She didn't trust me being near her." Corypheus folded his hands behind his back. "Well, it seems that the girl is more intelligent than I give her credit for. But she is nestled safely in Skyhold?" He chuckled. "Not for long, i'm afraid." He turned his attention back to Broca. "You have done your job well, my dear. However," he strode toward her ominously. "It seems that I have no further need of your assistance, Brota." He suddenly drew his hand back, and impaled the red templar on his hand, drawing her closer, until his mouth was next to her ear. "I will take it from here." He unceremoniously ripped his hand out of her chest, holding her heart in his hand. He hurled the heart off of the cliff as the red templar fell backwards, dead before she even hit the ground. Blood trickled out of her mouth, as it pooled underneath her, staining her blonde hair a deep shade of crimson. He simply picked her up by the arm, and dropped her carcass off of the cliff. Corypheus couldn't help the sick smile that crossed his face as he overlooked the view, with Skyhold a few miles in the distance. "I am coming for you, 'Herald'."

 _Hey guys, sorry this chapter was so short. I'm just lacking a bit in inspiration, but I will hopefully start the next chapter soon for you guys to enjoy. I had to add that Red Templar Spy that infiltrated Skyhold, because something interesting had to happen. Let me know if you guys want me to add anything or if you have any ideas for the next chapter. Thank you guys for your help and support! :) The next chapter will be up soon._


	8. Chapter 8

Evangeline sat in her room, cradling her baby. She hummed an old Dalish lullaby, then she started to sing:

"El gara vallas, Da'len _Sun sets, little one_

Melava somniar _Time to dream_

Mala taren aravas _Your mind journeys_

Ara ma'desen melar" _But I will hold you here_

Before Evangeline could start the next verse, Bull walked in, holding a steaming bowl of Evangeline's favorite soup. Evangeline was flattered, but her hands were full with the baby. She gestured with her head toward the nightstand. "Put it there, please, love. I'm trying to get her to settle down. We really need to get her a crib or something for her to safely sleep." Evangeline looked down at Mireille, with love in her eyes.

"She is probably going to look like me, no offense Kadan." Bull teased. Evangeline playfully slapped him on the forearm. "Very funny, she will probably look more like me. She has that slender face with pointy ears, yes you do, yes you do!" Evangeline cooed, making Mireille smile. Bull rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Bah! Pointy ears doesn't mean anything. Qunari are also known for their pointy ears, and look!" He pointed to two raised bumps parallel to each other on her head. "Her horns are already developing." He said proudly.

Evangeline gazed at the bumps with concern. "Are you sure those are horns, Bull?" Bull chuckled. "I'm positive, Kadan. How about I have some daddy time with my little girl, while mommy eats her soup that daddy worked so hard on." Bull gently plucked the child from Evangeline's arms, and bounced her up in the air, making the child laugh. Evangeline almost snorted soup out of her nose. She had never seen this side of Bull. It was adorable!

During the night, the couple slept soundly, save for the couple of times where their child woke them up with her crying. Evangeline was the one who took care of it, consoling and comforting her daughter. The child finally fell back into a peaceful slumber, as did Evangeline.

They hired Varric to build a crib for their newborn daughter, as they were afraid one of them would accidentally hurt her in their sleep. A few days later, the crib was ready to be used. Evangeline was excited to try out the new crib. She didn't know how Mireille would take to it at first, but she knew it was worth a try. Mireille slept soundly through the night in her new crib, and surprisingly didn't wake up crying at all during the night.

The next day, the skies were dark, and overcast. That didn't stop Evangeline and Bull from taking a break from the daily duties of parenthood. While Cassandra watched Mireille, Evangeline and Bull went out to the sparring yard. They practiced dueling with special swords with round pieces of metal at the tip of the sword, for safety reasons. Even though Bull was considerably larger and stronger than Evangeline, his lover was still a challenging opponent. As petite as she was, she was a skilled warrior. Their swords clashed together. "Loser gets to change the diapers for the whole week." Evangeline declared. A mischeivious smile made its way onto Bull's unshaven face. "Bring it, sweetheart."

Bull made the first move, which Evangeline easily parried, tapping him on the shoulder near his neck. "You're dead." She teased. He raised an eyebrow, batting her sword away and spinning, meeting her sword as he turned to face her. With a flick of her wrist, the sword flew out of Bull's hand. "You're dead again." She teased. Bull raised his hands. "In my defense, Kadan, I am more of a two-handed weapon man." He grabbed her wrist, as she dropped her weapon. "Not so tough now, are you?" He chuckled. She bit her lip. "I surrender." She jumped up, wrapping her legs around the Qunari, as she planted her lips on his. The two shared a passionate kiss. Suddenly a wolf whistle sounded from behind her. She turned her head, and saw Dorian. "Please, get a room, you two." Dorian walked away, shaking his head.

Suddenly, there were surprised and alarmed yells sounding out against the walls of Skyhold. Evangeline looked around. What could be wrong? "Red Templars!" An Inquisition guard ran down the hill, before a flying arrow impaled him, his blood seeping into the snow below his mortally wounded body. Evangeline got off of Bull and stood her ground from the approaching enemy forces. Sure enough, armoured men and women, bodies circled by red lyrium, were marching in formation toward the bridge that entered Skyhold. "Close the bridge! Close the bridge!" An Inquisition guard ordered, panicking. Guards starting turning the crank to close the drawbridge, but enemy archers hit their targets before the men could close the bridge. Skyhold was in danger, mortal danger.

Evangeline knew she had to stay calm. Her first instinct wasn't as a warrior, to fight off the Red Templars, but as a mother, to protect her newborn child, even if it meant forfeiting her own life in the process. "Bull! I'm going to go find Cassandra and Mireille! We can't let Mireille get caught up in this mess!" She started to run off, but Bull caught her arm. "Kadan, we need you here. You're the Inquisitor. Cassandra can take care of herself." He insisted. Evangeline started to panic. "This is our _child_ , Bull! We need to protect her, no matter what the cost. Let go of me!" Evangeline pulled away from Bull's grasp, as she ran up the stairs to the throne room. "Cassandra?! Cassandra?!" She yelled, frantically searching for the Seeker.

Evangeline heard footsteps approaching. She cautiously put a hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to smite the enemy. She spun around, starting to draw her sword. Cassandra was standing there, her eyes wide, and her hands held protectively in front of her. "Cassandra! Where is Mireille?!" Demanded the Inquisitor. Cassandra looked toward Evangeline's bedchambers. I put her down for a nap a couple of hours ago. I haven't checked on her since." Evangeline ran toward her bedchambers, angry that Cassandra had acted so irresponsibly in a situation where Evangeline had depended on her the most.

Evangeline pushed the door to her bedchambers open, and her heart froze as she saw a tall figure standing by the balcony. "How lucky you are to bear such a lovely child, Herald." Evangeline's heart dropped to her toes as she recognized that deep, ominous voice from anywhere. Corypheus turned around, grinning, with Evangeline's child in his bony arms. He held Mireille in a surprisingly gentle manner. Evangeline clenched her teeth angrily. "You let her go, you heinous son-of-a-bitch, or I'll-"

"Or you'll what, woman? Chances are, you may hit the baby by accident, that is, if you were planning to harm me. Now, let's look at other options, shall we? You kneel, and denounce yourself as the so-called "Herald of Andraste", and accept the will that is Corypheus, and you will get your child back, unharmed. If you refuse, I will keep the child, and raise her as my own." This answer was not one that Evangeline was expecting. "Because," Corypheus continued. "If you refuse, the child will not have a mother or father around. " Corypheus threatened ominously. He chuckled at the expression on Evangeline's face. "Surely you wouldn't expect me to slay a newborn baby, would you? Now that's just something a psychopath would do. Don't you agree? Also, had I killed her, it would be a complete waste of potential. Why take away a life, when you can use one to benefit your cause?" Corypheus grinned like a madman. "Your choice, Inquisitor."

Evangeline feels herself falling to her knees. "Please, please, give me back my baby." Evangeline sobbed. She never would have guessed that she would ever bring herself down to this level. Suddenly, the door opened as Iron Bull ran in, followed by Cassandra, Sera, Leliana, and Solas. Iron Bull knelt at his lover's side. "Kadan, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Bull took Evangeline's face in his hands.

Evangeline shook her head. "No, but he's got Mireille!" Evangeline stood up. "Corypheus! Meet me outside of Skyhold. We will deal with this, one on one! If you would stop being such a coward and face me, without threatening a baby, then I will be willing to kick your sorry ass outside of Skyhold!" Evangeline snarled. Corypheus, without taking his sullen eyes off of Evangeline, gently laid Mireille inside of her cradle. "So be it."

 _Yoooooooooo! It feels like forever since I have posted a new chapter, so I would like to apologize to the readers that have been expecting an update! Since you have been so patient, I will write and post the next chapter tonight! :)_


	9. Chapter 9

_See! Told you guys I would post a new chapter! It may not be the best written chapter, as my stomach is feeling a bit queezy, but I love you guys, so I will post this chapter for you! ;) Enjoy!_

Evangeline waited by a nearby cave outside of Skyhold, her arms wrapped around herself as she managed to stay warm in the chilly Frostback Mountains. She was expecting Corypheus to show up any minute, that is if he kept his word. Corypheus seemed like an honorable enough man, especially if it gave him a chance to strike down the Inquisitor. But she knew she shouldn't be thinking like that. She knew she could defeat Corypheus, especially since she now had a daughter to protect. This gave her newfound hope.

Lost in her thoughts, Evangeline didn't notice the chilling presence of The Elder One. He seemed to glide slowly toward her from behind, tempted to end her life before she knew what hit her. He wanted to take away her fighting chance, to be acknowledged as the most powerful being in all of Thedas. However, he stopped himself from killing her. Corypheus knew that as despicable as he was, he would give the Inquisitor an honorable enough death.

"How long have you been waiting, Herald?" Corypheus' deep voice nearly made Evangeline leap out of her skin in shock. She spun around to face the horribly disfigured being, a hand making a beeline toward the hilt of her sword. "Now, now, is that fair? I am unarmed and defenseless, but no more." He manifested a dark blade, with jagged teeth that looked as if they could easily rip through flesh. The hilt seemed to act as a tendril, wrapping around the base of the blade, being adorned with garnet as red as the blood it was soon to be covered in. Evangeline was intimidated, but she knew she would not be scared so easily.

"Nice weapon, Corypheus. Hm, although I thought it would be bigger." Evangeline grinned as she drew her weapon. Corypheus was almost emotionless, except for feelings of wrath and hatred. Evangeline stood her ground and stayed planted where she was, as Corypheus circled his prey, as a hungry buzzard would a carcass. He slowly raised his weapon, and struck. Evangeline saw him coming in her peripheral vision, and this saved her. It was a hard blow, but Evangeline stood strong against it. She remembered her fight with Bull, and tried to copy the moves that she performed then.

"You stand strong, Herald. But you are but a lowly ant beneath my sole, and you shall die by my blade, slowly." He grinded his blade against hers, the screeching noise of metal against metal disturbing her focus, which gave him the upper hand. He shoved his sword forward, pushing her into the snow. She refused to be below his level. She quickly retrieved her weapon and tried to catch Corypheus off-guard, but he was expecting an attack. He batted away her weapon, and struck her in the arm. She let out a cry of pain, holding her arm as the warmth of her blood seeped through her fingers.

Corypheus knocked her down once more to her knees, as he circled her. "Beg that your life will be ended swiftly, Inquisitor. You will not see mercy from me!" He raised his weapon, coming in for the kill. Evangeline squeezed her eyes shut, and waited. She failed her daughter. She failed to protect the ones she loved. Evangeline prayed to the Maker that her daughter and Bull would be spared after she was gone. Any moment now, Evangeline expected a biting pain, and the blackness of death. However, it never came. An arrow whizzed past Corypheus by a mere inch. Corypheus looked back with surprise, Sera stood there with her bow. "I won't miss the next time." Sera drew back her bow, and aimed it at Corypheus. Varric ran up the hill, out of breath. "What's happening? Are we having a party? Bianca loves to party!" More of Evangeline's companions appeared in her defense. Corypheus was furious.

"You think you are clever? Next time our paths cross, you won't be as lucky." Corypheus' red lyrium dragon soared down as a distraction, as its wing dropped in front of Corypheus, and he was gone. Evangeline was angry. "Great! Now he is alive and on the loose! I could have defeated him on my own!" Evangeline seethed, as she started to get up, but she collapsed back into the snow. She held her arm painfully, as her companions gathered around her. "She's losing too much blood. The cut is too deep to be left alone! Somebody get Mother Giselle, she is experienced with dealing with injuries like this." Commanded Cassandra, as Inquisition guards obeyed. Iron Bull appeared, as he saw his lover lying motionless on the ground, surrounded by bloodstained snow. "KADAN!" He quickly knelt by Evangeline and cradled her in his arms. "Hang in there. You will be alright." He whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. He wouldn't have been as worried if it were just a regular cut, but it was so deep, and it would need to be stitched up before she lost enough blood to go into shock. He held his hand on the wound, hoping that pressure would slow the bleeding.

Inquisition guards led Mother Giselle up the snow covered hill. Mother Giselle was not much of a nurse, but she was experienced with nursing soldiers back to health. Mother Giselle knelt down next to Evangeline. "Give her some room, please. We don't need her stressed out." Mother Giselle warned Evangeline's companions. They obeyed, backing up a few feet. All except Bull, he was permitted to hold his lover and comfort her during the painful process of stitching the wound closed. Evangeline was in pain, but she was comforted by Bull, and she found the strength to fight against death in her child, and Bull. Evangeline softly smiled as she gazed into Bull's eyes, despite the pain. "Ar lath." _I love you_ , she managed to croak out before all went black.

 _Sorry this chapter was so freakin' short. My tummy is just really not feeling well for some reason. By the way, "Ar Lath" means I love you in Dalish, if it wasn't already obvious by the in-text translation. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, despite the somewhat rushed flow of the text, and the shortness of the chapter. Let me know what you think! :) Love you all!_


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